This audio collage was created to accompany the sculpture “Shelter” by visual artist Barbara Karsch-Chaïeb. The collaboration was presented as part of the group exhibition Nature Body, which took place at the Altes Automatenwerk in Stuttgart-Feuerbach from December 14, 2025 through February 7, 2026.
“Shelter” was assembled from tree branches collected from the forest in the Feuerbacher Tal, bound together with hemp twine. This audio composition is constructed from recordings made during a visit to the site where the wood was gathered. Using a digital recorder, Barbara and I captured sounds of branches, earth, and found objects as they were being manipulated. Following two hours of fieldwork, the recordings were edited and mixed live at home into the form documented here. The results were played on a speaker near the sculpture during the exhibit.
The resulting work is grounded in nature and location, but becomes abstracted from its sources, gathering synthetic qualities. Organic matter becomes particulate noise. Splinters of felled trees become percussive instruments. Transient, inaudible sounds are brought into focus, revealing their hidden musicality. Hook-like details are looped and tree limb drag is layered to produce sheets of intense syncopation. The composition is dynamic, maintaining a cohesive focus that comes from working with limited means while simultaneously undergoing shifts in mood and intensity over time. This movement captures the sense of playful exploration that can occur when interacting with our surroundings attentively. Listening becomes an imaginative means of returning to the site from which the sculpture grew.
